As part of their Farewell Tour, The Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus is performing in Greensboro until Sunday. The Greatest Show on Earth has their train parked on the railroad tracks at Chapman Street, off of Spring Garden Street. In May, after 146 years of entertaining the public, the rings will go silent. According to WFMY News 2, their first visit to Greensboro was 57 years ago in 1960 and they have sold over 4 million seats over the years. In the above photo, the man in the green suit is picking up trash from the cars, which serve as living space for the performers and staff. 

Briefly, we interviewed the young woman below, who cares for the children while workers are practicing and performing. I asked her what people are going to do when their jobs end in May. She said some will go to other circus and performing troupes. She will move to Florida. She couldn’t talk long as she needed to head to work for the evening, carrying what appeared to be play sand. It came to mind that she was literally and figuratively carrying a heavy load, knowing that she had to prepare both for the and her post-circus life. But for now, the show must go on.